


Child Protective Services

by War_of_Stars



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Awkward Zuko (Avatar), Azula (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Badass Katara (Avatar), Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Family, Family Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gaang (Avatar) as Family, Gen, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai give it up YOU’RE NOT GETTING THEM BACK, POV Aang (Avatar), POV Katara (Avatar), POV Zuko (Avatar), Protective Sokka (Avatar), Stubborn Katara (Avatar), Suki & Zuko (Avatar) Friendship, The Gaang basically adopts Zuko and Azula, Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, Toph Being Awesome, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, adorable shenanigans ensue, more like a course correction, sort of I wouldn’t really call it a redemption because she’s just a kid, they’re property of the Gaang now, this fic is rated T for Toph’s potty mouth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25490731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/War_of_Stars/pseuds/War_of_Stars
Summary: Aang becomes the well-intentioned kidnapper of the Fire Nation royal children while stopping a war, deciding seven year old Zuko and his little sister Azula are better off with him anyway. The Gaang promptly adopt and raise the sibling duo, because why not? They can’t be any worse thanOzai.Starring Zuko as a precious cinnamon roll, Azula as a holy terror, Katara as the best mom and the only reason these kids aren’t going to end up scarred for life, Aang as an overeager dad who spoils the children, Sokka as the weird uncle whose jokes might end up giving the siblings brain damage, Suki as the cool aunt, and Toph as Toph.
Relationships: Aang & Azula (Avatar), Aang & Katara (Avatar), Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Azula & Katara (Avatar), Azula & The Gaang (Avatar), Azula & Toph Beifong, Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Suki (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), Toph & Zuko
Comments: 386
Kudos: 1848





	1. Aang Abducts Some Children

Seven-year-old Zuko gently touches his eye, wincing. 

The scar _burns_.

He wonders if it will ever heal, but he doubts it.

The crackle of lightning from the thunderstorm causes him to throw up the sheets once more, snuggling with his favorite stuffed platypus bear for warmth.

Mr. Cuddles places a soft paw over the red mark, and Zuko instantly relaxes. His friend always knows exactly what to do to make him feel better. 

It’s the booming thunder that sets him on edge, his hairs tingling, his tiny form trembling.

It’s his first night during a storm without mom. 

It’s _scary_.

He wonders if Azula is scared. Probably not — his little sister isn’t scared of anything. Still, just in case she is, it couldn’t hurt to check in on her (mother had made him promise to protect her, after all), could it? For Azula’s benefit, obviously.

Slowly, grabbing Mr. Cuddles and his favorite stick from his twig collection from mother’s gardens, he tiptoes out of his room, looking around in curiosity. The door to his sister’s room is open, and he doesn’t see any of the guards on their usual patrol. 

He steps into the room.

When Zuko sneaks into his little sister’s room during the thunderstorm, he does _not_ expect to see some bald boy with strange blue markings and an arrow tattooed on his head cooing at Azula on the bed, with the little girl in question being fast asleep. 

It’s... it’s a stranger! 

He freezes mid step and gasps. The stranger turns towards him, and his smile gets wider. 

The creepy boy with the shaved head grinning like a serial killer does not make Zuko feel any better. He really should’ve stayed in his room. 

“Oh, this is great! You’re here too. Saves me a trip down the hall,” the boy says eagerly, taking a few steps towards him. 

Zuko immediately raises a stick in defense. He thinks about calling for help, but maybe... maybe if he beats up the kidnapper, father would like him again! This kid wasn’t that much older than him anyway. 

Besides, he doesn’t always get along with Azula, but he _will_ defend his sister to the _death_. 

He points the stick at the kidnapper, gripping his co-captain with his other fist. After whispering in his ear for a few seconds, Zuko nods at the platypus bear, and gets into an _offensive_ position, as Master Kunyo likes to call it. 

Zuko is sure he looks fearsome. Together, he and Mr. Cuddles launch a devastating attack, striking the strange boy right in the heart.

Mr. Cuddles falls to the floor, but this only makes the little boy raise his stick higher, a battle cry on his lips.

He will avenge the fallen. 

* * *

Aang doesn’t know if he’s ever seen anything more adorable in his life than a seven year old kid in little turtleduck pajamas, poking the air in front of him with a stick, a platypus bear toy in hand, which he had promptly thrown at Aang’s chest. It had landed gently against his saffron robes before falling to the floor. 

Hours earlier, Aang had been standing just outside the Fire Nation palace in robes that marked him a servant of the royal family, a cool night breeze tickling his skin. 

Torches had flickered around him as he had made his way deeper into the palace, slipping easily past the guards with a platter of food. He hadn’t know what had brought him here, really, other than idle curiosity — he was still trying to master earthbending from Toph, so firebending was pretty much out of the question. 

They’d had to take a detour that led them close to Capital City, and Aang had managed to sneak away while the others slept, curious about the city inhabitants, wondering what the Firelord and the man he’d have to defeat was really like. Besides, doing a little recon couldn’t hurt.

He hadn’t planned on getting close to Ozai, only observing from afar.

A scream had ripped through the air, drawing the Avatar’s attention, as he had promptly thrown all his plans out the window and rushed to the sound.

He had immediately wished he hadn’t.

The door to the palace throne room had been ajar, giving him a perfect view. 

Aang saw a little dark haired girl watching the scene with her fist in her mouth, a little girl who was still learning how to control her reactions, whose shocked eyes gave her away. 

He saw a seven year old boy, standing alone with a burn mark on his face, gifted to him by the man who’s supposed to love him the most, for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. 

There had been nothing Aang could do in that moment to help anyone.

But he could prevent more damage from being done.

That was how he’d ended up in the bedroom of the Fire Nation royal children, awkwardly scratching the back of his head and wondering how he was going to convince this kid to come with him. He’d kind of been counting on both of them being asleep.

“So, uh, wanna go on a field trip?”

The scarred boy whacks him with his stick. The princess keeps snoring. Aang had no idea how she was sleeping through this.

The crown prince jabs him in the shin, the first hit that actually lands, and Aang winces. 

Okay, so maybe he wasn’t _that_ adorable. 

“Woah, relax! I’m not gonna hurt you!” 

He deftly knocks the stick out of the boy’s hand, kneeling down so that they were at eye-level. The other boy’s eyes reflect full-blown panic at this point. 

He can practically see the scream that’s on the tip of the other boy’s lips, so he quickly blurts out, “I swear, I’m not here to hurt you! Or your sister. I... I want to help you guys.”

“Help us? Help us with what?” The prince eyes him warily. What was his name again, Zuko? Honestly, Aang was just glad the kid apparently still didn’t have the sense to yell for help at this point.

Aang taps his own left eye. “You know, I have a friend who could help you out with that. She’s a waterbender, and a healer. I bet she could get that scar right off.”

Zuko sniffles. “Father says he won’t allow any healers to fix it. He thinks the pain will make me stronger.”

_Well your father’s a jerkface and I don’t care what he thinks._

Aang’s eye twitches as the renowned pacifist internally debates all the ways to beat the spirits out of Ozai without outright killing him.

Life liked to test him sometimes.

_Deep breath, deep breath, can’t scare the five year old._

“Or maybe he’ll be happy that you were able to get it fixed yourself! We can show him next time when we come back!”

_Which is never._

Zuko’s eyes brighten a bit. “You think so?”

Aang nods, and he can see the little boy mulling over the idea.

Seriously, he isn’t complaining, but this was becoming way too simple. Clearly no one had taught these kids about stranger danger. Well, Aang supposed it made his job easier, and now he knew the first thing _he_ had to teach them. 

* * *

Zuko is conflicted. 

On one hand, running away with a stranger was kind of a dumb idea.

On the other hand...

Maybe Father would be proud of him for taking some initiative? The boy didn’t look _that_ scary, and he had promised to get his scar to stop hurting....

“Okay, we’ll go with you,” he decides, crossing his arms. Father and Uncle did that all the time, and everyone always took _them_ seriously. 

“But you have to take us back when you’re done!”

The other boy shifts, a little uncomfortable. “Ummm... sure! If you still _want_ to go back.”

Before he could even ask what that meant, a gust of wind pulls Zuko towards the bald boy, as the stranger carefully slings his sleeping sister over his shoulder, an air cushion relieving some of her weight.

“I’m Aang, by the way.”

Zuko blinks. The boy is an airbender. Named _Aang_.

His eyes go wide.

“Wait, that means you’re... you’re the Avatar?” 

Zuko slaps himself in the forehead. “Please don’t tell me I just tried to take the _Avatar_ in a fight. Please don’t tell me that I just agreed to _run away with the Avatar_.”

Aang shrugs, unsure of what to say. “Umm... sorry?”

He leaps out the window, with Zuko finally finding his common sense and shrieking for a guard.

* * *

A single guard hears the prince’s panicked cry, watching in shock as a bald boy with a bright blue arrow on his forehead runs along the ledge outside the princess’s bedroom, with both prince and princess in hand. 

The Avatar. Kidnapping the royal children. 

He should be alerting someone by now. 

The only problem is... he’d been in the throne room, as Firelord Ozai had burned the face of his own son. He’d listened to the boy scream — a scream full of pain and anguish, unlike the shriek he’d just heard now, which was more shock and panic than anything else.

He’d been made to look away, then. 

Just as he’d looked away when hundreds of Earth Kingdom villagers were executed on his first deployment. 

So he looks away now too, even if this time is different than all the others. 

It’s the first time he’s proud of it. 

* * *

Aang smiles as they stick the landing, balancing on the edge of the palace wall, securely gripping the royal siblings with each hand. 

He’s going to be the best twelve year old father the world has ever seen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few notes: Obviously, Zuko and Azula are a lot younger during the events of ATLA in this AU. Zuko also gets his scar earlier, and his mother leaves at a younger age.
> 
> Fair warning, I’m not really a hardcore shipper given that I mostly ship rarepairs if at all, so this fic is mostly going to just be feel good family fun with our favorite characters! I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, and I’d really appreciate it if y’all could drop a kudos/comment!
> 
> Also, if you guys would like to see any two characters interact going forward, feel free to make a suggestion in the comments below! I can’t promise anything, as I already have a basic outline of the story, and a bunch of one-on-one as well as group character interactions planned out, but I’m always open to suggestions!


	2. The Gaang Chews Out Aang; Ozai Makes An Offer

Katara had been having a lovely morning before she found out that her best friend was a child kidnapper.

She wakes up earlier than the others, cooks some freeze-dried cucumberquats, and feeds Momo his moon peach slices.

It is then that she notices that Appa is missing. 

“Appa? Aang, do you know where Appa— “

She freezes.

It is then that she notices Aang is _also_ missing.

It is _then_ that she starts to freak out. 

“Sokka! Suki! Toph! Wake up, Aang and Appa are gone!”

She shakes them all awake and drags them from their tents. 

“Five more minutes,” Suki mumbles, weakly pushing against Katara’s hand. 

“Look Sugar Queen, just because you woke up at the crack of dawn, doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t get some—”

“We have to find Appa and Aang! They’re missing!”

“What are you talking about? They’re right there!” Sokka sleepily points at something behind her.

With a roar, Appa lands gently on the grass a few feet away, with Aang hopping off the air bison’s back. 

It’s the children he’s half-carrying that draws her attention. Sokka and Suki perk up a little, curious, and Toph raises an eyebrow.

A little girl is slung over his shoulder, fast asleep, and the little boy clutching her friend’s hand is rubbing his bleary eyes. When he puts his hand down, looking at all of them warily, Katara gasps a little at an angry red burn scar covering half his face. 

Toph crosses her arms. “What did you do this time Twinkletoes?”

“Oh, hey guys! You’re up early!” Aang grins nervously.

“Who are _they_? Is she your waterbender friend?” Zuko blurts out, pointing at Katara. 

“Who are _we_? Who are _you_?” she inquires.

The boy puffs out his chest. “I’m Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, and this is my sister, Princess Azula.”

Suki lets out a sound of disbelief. Toph slaps a hand against her forehead.

Sokka’s jaw drops, as he shakes his head. “You leave the kid alone for _two seconds_...”

Katara keeps her face carefully blank, glaring at the Air Nomad, who winces. 

“Aang...”

“I can explain!” 

“Please do.”

“So, I might have sort-of sneaked into Capital City and the Fire Nation palace, and...” he voice trails off, looking at Zuko in concern. 

“Katara, I saw the Firelord. He’s the one that gave the prince his scar.”

“What? Firelord Ozai did that to his own son?” Suki steps up, her eyes widening. 

“...Yeah. I saw the aftermath. So as soon as I got the chance, I got the kids out of there.” 

Katara pinches her nose. “Okay, first of all, sneaking into Capital City? What were you thinking! What would have happened if you got caught?”

“Oh, Aang did something stupid? _Shocker_ ,” Toph deadpans.

Katara resists the urge to slam her head against a very hard surface. “And I get your reasons, but kidnapping the _Firelord’s children_? Aang, did you even _think_ about the fact that Ozai is probably going to do everything he can to get them back and start calling the Avatar a child-kidnapper!”

Aang twiddles his thumbs. “Umm... not really?”

Katara glares, and he immediately backtracks. 

“I mean, come on I’m not a child-kidnapper! I’m... I’m like child protective services! I was saving them!”

“Guys, trust me, I know it was kinda impulsive but you didn’t... you weren’t there. You didn’t _see_ them. Ozai burned his own son’s face, and they were so _scared_... I _had_ to help them. I _had_ to.”

For a few moments, there is nothing but silence, all five of them quietly staring at Zuko, unsure. The boy in question flushes a little, hugging what looks like a platypus bear toy closer to his chest.

Katara finally steps forward, kneeling down so she’s on the boy’s eye level and gently resting her cool hand on Zuko’s cheek, who immediately shudders before squaring his shoulders, reminding her of Sokka whenever he tried to act twice his age.

It’s effortlessly endearing, and something inside her softens a little. 

“Well, we can’t send them back to the Firelord,” Toph finally speaks up, a note of finality in her voice. 

“Not if their dad’s an abusive piece of—“

“Toph!” Katara hushes her. “Not around the — wait, how old are you two?”

“I’m seven, and Azula’s five.”

“Well, what are we going to do with them then? I mean, Aang, they’re _Fire Nation_ ,” Sokka interrupts. “How do you know they’re not gonna run away and hand us in?”

“They’re so _little_. I was thinking that we could just take them with us!”

“Wait, what!” Zuko whirls around, surprised. “I thought you said you were taking me to your healer friend. I thought you said she“ — he points emphatically at Katara — “was going to fix me!”

Ah. This was beginning to make a little more sense. 

“You promised you’d take us back after!” 

“I... I said I’d take you back if you wanted to go back,” Aang says defensively. 

“Okay, hold on everyone,” Katara says, raising her voice, trying to control a situation that is rapidly spiraling out of her control. 

“No one is going back to the Fire Nation, or Capital City right now. We’re going to stay _here_.”

She turns to face the prince. 

“I can try my best to heal that scar, but I’m going to need you to promise that you won’t run away or tell anybody who and where we are right now. We’ll talk about if you and your sister can go back or not after, okay?”

He pouts a little, but nods. “Kay.”

Everyone relaxes, though she can still see Sokka eying the two kids a little suspiciously.

He doesn’t get the chance to say anything before a small voice cuts in. 

“Zuzu?”

* * *

As soon as Zuko hears Azula’s voice, soft and innocent for all appearances, he knows he’s screwed. 

She gives him a look that’s oddly stern for a five year old, as if asking, _What did you get us into this time you moron?_

Avatar Aang, ever the optimist, beams at her as she shifts a little on his shoulder. 

“Hi Princess! Nice to meet you, did you know you’re a really heavy sleeper?”

She punches him in the nose.

He sputters a little, dropping the little girl in surprise, who, as always, lands on her feet, scrambling towards her older brother.

“Ow!” Aang rubs his nose, shooting her a confused look. Toph bursts out laughing.

“Zuzu, what’s goin’ on!” she tugs his arm impatiently. 

“Zula, this is the Avatar. I — err, _we_ , kinda ran away with him? Him and his friends are gonna help me get rid of this” — he taps his scar — “and then they’re gonna to take us back to father.”

She blinks. “Zuzu, you a _dum dum_.”

“Am not!” He stamps his foot.

“They’re nice!” he insists, pointing at the people he now knew for a grand total of five minutes, excluding Aang. 

He had known Aang for at least seven hours. He was pretty much Zuko’s closest friend, except Mr. Cuddles. No one could replace Mr. Cuddles. 

“They’re not gonna hurt us.” 

Actually, water lady is the only one of these new strangers that’s kinda nice. He isn’t really sure about the others, but one out of four isn’t bad, is it? Besides, he, Zula, and Mr. Cuddles could probably take ‘em if they _had_ to. 

He’s kinda hoping they _didn’t_ have to.

Shooting him a disbelieving look, Azula immediately launches a tiny fireball straight at the foursome. It isn’t enough to take them off guard, but it does send them scrambling to avoid it until water lady manages to douse the flames.

“Okay kid can firebend, I repeat, kid can firebend!” One of the boys points out, panicking.

“Zuzu, come!” His little sister gestures to the woods behind them, already getting ready to raise another fireball before squealing as one of the older girls, dressed in red, swiftly picks her up, holding her a good distance away from her face. 

“Hey, kid, we’re not gonna hurt you or your brother, okay? We promise.”

Azula scrunches her nose, wiggling her feet in midair. “I want _father_.”

Everyone’s faces darken at the mention of their father. 

“...No. Not right now. But maybe if you’re good, we’ll take you to him later?”

The older kids are all shooting each other looks that Zuko doesn’t understand, but what the girl says calms down Azula, who sizes up the five other strangers surrounding them and slumps a little, nodding. 

“Great!” Water lady steps forward, breaking the silence. 

“Zuko, why don’t you take Azula and come into my tent, and we can take a look at that scar together okay?”

“ _Princess_ Azula,” his little sister insists, raising her head.

“Come on ‘Zula,” he grumbles, grabbing his sister’s hand tightly. He can tell she’s irritated, but she squeezes his hand back, probably still preferring to stay with him over a bunch of strangers.

“Oh, and my name is Katara, by the way! This is my brother Sokka, this is Toph, and that’s Suki.” 

Katara smiles a little too widely, pointing to her friends, as the other three awkwardly wave to the kids before the two of them follow the waterbender into her tent. 

* * *

Katara is a lot nicer than the healer back at the palace. 

She’s a lot better than him, too. Zuko watches in awe as she bends her “spirit water” to cushion his face, causing him to giggle a little ‘cause it _tickles_ , the scar slowly fading into his skin. There’s still a mark there by the time she’s done, but it’s a lot lighter than it was before, and the best part is, it doesn’t _burn_.

Even Azula looks a little impressed, her eyes wide as she pokes him curiously. 

“Well, that’s all I can do for now. I can keep working on it for the next couple days and make it smaller and lighter, but I’m afraid it’ll never go away completely.”

“That’s okay. It feels a lot better now. Thank you,” Zuko tells her, mom’s lessons about manners echoing in his ears. 

“You’re welcome.” The other girl smiles warmly, offering them some kinda disgusting food to eat, which Zuko pretends to like because Katara is _kind_ and he doesn’t want her to get upset. He can hear hushed whispers arguing outside the tent, but he can’t make out what they’re saying.

It’s kind of awkward, pretty much the entire day. Azula clutches his arm and refuses to let go, as the Avatar and his friends circle in and out of the tent, talking in low voices, probably about them.

By the time the day passes and it gets dark again, they seem to have made up their mind. 

Azula is already asleep when they all enter the tent again late at night, her tiny face squished into his arm, which is starting to feel a little sore from her leaning on it all day. 

“You’re going to be staying with us for a little while,” Katara says quietly, in a no-nonsense tone that reminds him so much of mom when she made up her mind about something that it hurts a little. He nods, because Zuko knows better than to argue with people like mom and Katara. Everyone settles a little at that, resting in quiet silence. 

“Your sister’s really cute,” Suki murmurs finally, stroking a few strands of the little girl’s hair. 

Zuko sighs. “Give it a couple days. You’ll see.”

They give it a couple days. 

They see. 

They unanimously agree that Zuko is the good child.

* * *

Unfortunately, the wanted poster that Sokka brings back after visiting a nearby town a few days later complicates things. 

Aang frowns at the sight of Zuko and Azula’s faces on the poster, the latter’s face being significantly bigger than the former’s, along with a circle and a giant arrow that’s apparently supposed to be _him_. 

“A reward of a thousand gold pieces is being offered for anyone who captures the Avatar and safely returns the Firelord’s children to him,” Sokka announces. 

“And to the Avatar himself: The Firelord asks that you return his daughter or both his children, and he promises he’ll imprison you for the rest of your life instead of killing you.” 

“The Firelord is also prepared to offer two dozen fruit pies as a gesture of goodwill for the return of his daughter, and son if you’d like to give him back too. He’s heard it’s your favorite delicacy.” 

Sokka’s jaw drops, skimming over the text again. “He thinks his kids are only worth two dozen fruit pies? That’s horrible!” 

“They’re worth three dozen, at least.” 

Katara and Suki both punch him in the arm. 

Zuko tries not to feel too offended. Suki had told him that Sokka has a _unique_ sense of humor.

Aang shakes his head. “Trying to bribe us with fruit pies? Now that’s just evil.”

“Don’t worry Twinkletoes,” Toph murmurs, her eyes glimmering. 

“I have the _perfect_ response.”

* * *

Firelord Ozai is having a bad week. 

His children are missing — which would be fine, if it was just his son, and if it wasn’t his worst enemy that happened to kidnap them. 

Fortunately, the idiot child seems to have come to his senses. A servant is nervously handing over two scraps of parchment to one of his ministers, messages that are reportedly from the Avatar himself and one of his friends.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Read it!” He commands, the fire blazing higher around his gilded throne.

The minister clears his throat. “From the Avatar: Firelord Ozai, what you did to your own children is disgusting. No, I am not giving them back. They’re adorable and we’re keeping them. See you on the battlefield!”

An errant flame scorches the fringes of the minister’s robes, who yelps and desperately puts out the small fire. 

Pity. Apparently the Avatar lacks common sense after all.

“What does the other one say?” 

The minister pales. 

“My Firelord, I actually think you can skip this one...”

Ozai stares down the simpering man. “Read it.”

“Firelord, I believe you should read it in private, the girl who sent this is apparently one of his more impudent friends—”

Ozai snorts. “She’s a child. What could possibly be so offensive?”

“Firelord Ozai, I really must insist—”

“ _Read it_ , Minister.”

The man quakes in his boots, shaking as he reads aloud. 

“Bitch you’re a shitty father and your kids are _ours_ now. Deal with it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come on y’all, if Avatar wasn’t on Nickelodeon we all know Toph would be cussing everyone out. 
> 
> Seriously though, to everyone who dropped a kudos/comment on the last chapter, thank you SO MUCH! I’ve never gotten this much feedback this quickly for a fic before, and I just love hearing all of your thoughts on this! You guys are the best!


	3. Sokka and Suki Give Zuko “The Talk”

Zuko jealously watches his sister as she conjures bright orange flames, everyone else watching the sole firebender amongst them in admiration as she easily puts out and re-lights the dry wood for their campfire. They’ve all just finished dinner, relaxing on log benches, staring at the fire and the little girl who controls it. 

Azula always knows how to put on a show.

Aang’s friends had somewhat gotten used to having Zuko and Azula around, and apparently his sister had gotten comfortable enough with them, if she was already showing off her bending. 

The fire blazes brighter, eliciting small gasps of awe. 

He scowls at Azula, muttering, “It’s not _that_ great.”

She smirks, launching a fireball at his butt. 

Zuko yelps, throwing himself to the side to avoid getting hit, the flames touching the blades of grass right next to him. He can hear the giggles around the campfire, Sokka telling Katara how he thought it was bad when _she_ used to waterbend around him, and Zuko’s scowl deepens as he stamps away, ignoring the surprised looks. 

He only stops when he’s a good distance away, out of sight, laying down on the grass and tugging his knees to his chest, eyes stubbornly fixed on the stars.

He’ll be able to firebend one day. He _will_. Mom always told him that he needed to be _patient_. Azula had just gotten hers anyway, and she wasn’t _that_ good. 

“Hey kid, you alright?” 

Sokka and Suki sit down on either side of Zuko, glancing at him in concern. Of course the two nonbenders would come to get him. 

“No. Leave me alone.” 

Sokka shrugs, giving Suki an “I tried” look before standing up, getting ready to leave until the other girl yanks him back down. 

“What’s wrong, Zuko?” Suki asks, her blue eyes narrowing in concern. 

“You like Azula more than me,” he says glumly, rubbing the dirt with his little toe. 

“Everyone likes Azula more. She’s a firebender. She’s a _prodigy_.”

Sokka and Suki exchange glances.

“Your sister’s talented, but that doesn’t mean we like her _more_ than you.” 

There’s a soft understanding in Sokka’s eyes.

“You can’t bend, can you?” 

“Not _yet_.” He pouts. 

“I will, though. I _have_ to.” 

“You don’t _have_ to, kid. Trust me, having a sister that can do all sorts of cool bending tricks... I _get_ it. But just because you can’t bend now, that doesn’t mean you’re useless. Doesn’t mean you’re worth _any_ less than her.” 

“But dad says nonbenders are _weak_. He says he almost threw me out when I was little because he didn’t think I could bend.” 

“Well this guy just sounds like father of the year,” Sokka grumbles, scowling. “That’s _not_ okay, Zuko, you know that right?” The waterbender pats his back comfortingly, and Zuko stares at him in surprise, taken aback. 

Suki nods. “Your father’s _wrong_. Me and the girls go up against benders all the time! We usually win, too, unlike Sokka.” 

“Hey!” 

“You and the girls?” Zuko questioned. 

“I’m a Kyoshi warrior,” she clarifies, a twinkle entering her eye. “Want me to show you a few moves?”

“...Sure?”

She beams. “Okay, get into the position that I’m in right now, and try to follow my movements. I’ll try to go a little slower to demonstrate.”

She corrects his posture almost immediately after he stands up, moving Zuko’s arms to resemble a fighting stance. 

“Our technique is about using your opponent’s strength against them. Loosen your arm muscles a bit?”

He nods, relaxing. 

“Now just mimic my movements.”

He follows her gestures, stumbling a bit, but she must be teaching him the basics because it actually isn’t _that_ hard. It helps that Suki is one of the most patient people he’s ever met, although he figures she kind of has to be if she puts up with Sokka all day.

It’s kind of _fun_ , actually, just letting his limbs flow from one position to the next once he really gets the hang of it. 

He watches Sokka and Suki spar a bit too, a flurry of parries. They’re better than most of the palace guards, from what he can see.

Suki shows him a couple more blocking moves, and Sokka even lets him throw around his boomerang a little after showing him how to hit his mark with almost deadly precision. 

Zuko gets a bit overenthusiastic though, and ends up whacking the other boy in the eye. 

Sokka immediately decides that they’ve had enough boomerang practice.

He decides at the end of it, though, that as much as he’d like to be a firebender, he wouldn’t mind so much if he wasn’t, either. If Zuko never gets his bending at all, then he wants to be just like Suki and Sokka, fierce and strong in a way he hadn’t known was possible. 

They’re walking back to join the others, Sokka and Suki each holding one of his hands as he skips a little between them when a thought pops up in his head, something he’s been meaning to ask the two of them but never had the chance. 

“Hey, Sokka?”

“I have a question.” 

“Ask away, little man!” 

“Why are you and Suki the only ones that share a tent?” 

Sokka coughs, and Suki stifles a laugh with her fist. 

“Well, you see, when a girl and a boy love each other very much—” 

“Sokka!” 

“Alright, alright, I was just kidding! I wasn’t actually going to tell him, sheesh.” He ruffles Zuko’s hair. 

“That’s a discussion for another time, buddy.” 

* * *

They make it back to the campfire, and soon after, Sokka and Suki challenge the others to show off their bending while they fend off against it. 

Zuko watches them all in awe.

Aang’s airbending is amazing. Katara’s waterbending is magnificent. Toph’s earthbending is _unstoppable_. 

But then he sees Sokka and Suki with nothing but a fan and a boomerang, keeping up with their friends despite all that, and decides that somehow, they’re the most impressive of them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned how much I love these characters? Because I wholeheartedly, unconditionally, love pretty much every character in ATLA (except Ozai, screw him). My precious cinnamon rolls deserve ALL the love. 
> 
> And thanks again for all the kudos/comments everybody! I seriously love reading all your comments, you guys are hilarious.


	4. Katara Stages An Intervention

It’s a long road to Ba Sing Se. 

Katara dips her feet into the freshwater spring, wiggling her toes, glad that they’d finally decided to make a rest stop on their journey, and she’d finally have some time to relax.

Well, almost relax.

It’s _her_ turn for Azula Watch, and one can never be too careful around the little hellion.

If only she was on Zuko Watch, which mostly consisted of the boy awkwardly trying to help out with whatever everyone was doing while simultaneously hiding the fact that he was doing it. 

Azula Watch is an entirely different animal. 

Katara keeps a careful eye on the little five-year-old, but oddly enough she seems relatively calm, staring quietly at the turtleducks swimming around in the water.

Finally, she could just kick back and— 

Katara watches in horror as her little charge chucks a stone right at the turtleduck’s head, bonking it right above the eyes.

“Azula!” 

Katara swims to the other side of the lake, where the turtleducks are all snapping angrily at the girl, who’s simply sticking her tongue out at them. Unfortunately, the three-foot terror now seems determined to engage in an all-out war with the turtleducks that are trying to bite her in retaliation, chucking pebbles left and right while dodging the livid little creatures. 

Rubbing the bruised duck’s head, Katara frowns, stepping out of the water with her hands on her hips. 

“Azula, what was that for? That’s not how you feed turtleducks!” 

She scowls, crossing her arms. “You’re not my mom! You can’t tell me what to _do_. I’m a _princess_.” 

Katara takes a breath, forcing herself to relax. “No, I’m not, but what you’re doing is still wrong. You _hurt_ the little guy.” 

“But that’s how _father_ feeds the turtleducks. Father says if they’re smart, they won’t get hit.” 

Okay, maybe it’s time for a different approach. 

“Would you like it if I threw a stone at your head?” 

“... _No._ But I’m not a turtleduck!” 

Internally, Katara groans. Someone needed to teach this kid Empathy 101. 

It seems like she’s the girl for the job.

She kneels down until they’re face to face. 

“But if you _were_ , you wouldn’t like it, so you know that _they_ don’t like it either,” Katara explains. “Why don’t we try feeding them the normal way?”

Azula raises an eyebrow. “The normal way?”

In response, Katara breaks off a piece of bread from her pouch, carefully holding it out to the turtleducks. They stare at Katara’s hand warily, before a few of the more daring ones cautiously slip the bread crumbs into their mouths. 

“Do you want to try?”

Hesitantly, Azula takes the bread crumbs in her palms, frowning but holding out her hand. The turtleducks immediately start snapping at her, clearly remembering the previous encounter, and she sees the anger in the little girl’s eyes. Before she can retaliate, though, Katara slips her palm underneath Azula’s, holding the little girl’s palm outstretched.

“Don’t, Azula. Just wait. They’ll come around.”

Slowly, one of the smaller turtleducks swipes a bread crumb off her palm, darting away almost immediately. After a couple seconds, it comes back, joined by a few others, who crowd around the hand. Azula watches in fascination as one of them gently rubs her hand after finishing, swimming away.

“See? They like you better now. Doesn’t that feel nicer than having them snap at you?”

Azula purses her lips, curious. “Kinda.”

“My Gran Gran used to tell me that what goes around, comes around. If you treat everyone, even the smallest creatures, with respect, then people will respect _you_. But if you hurt them, then the only thing keeping anyone around will be fear. No one will actually _want_ to be around you, unless you feel sorry for what you did. Why would they, when all you do is hurt them?”

The younger girl lowers her head, focusing on the turtleduck she’d hit earlier with the bruise on its head, which is still swimming around, staring at the bread crumbs in her hand but reluctant to go near. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles, softly reaching out and patting the baby turtleduck gently in a conciliatory gesture before offering her outstretched palm, allowing it to lick her hand clean of any crumbs.

“Mom didn’t like it when father fed ‘em either,” Azula mutters. “But she can’t stop him ‘cause she’s gone.” There’s an anger in her eyes, but Katara sees a sadness too, one that’s all too familiar. At least _that_ explains why the kids only ever mention their father. 

“I’m very sorry to hear that. My mom was taken from me when I was very young too. It... it hurts a lot, whenever I think about her.” 

Wordlessly, Katara squeezes Azula’s hand, tugging her into her lap. The little girl leans back against her, quiet as they dip their feet in the water, balanced on the edge of a rock ledge barely a foot above the currents. Serenity is rare during the war, so Katara soaks in the moment, closing her eyes. Azula clutches Katara’s hands in her own, a little too tight, as if Katara will slip away if she doesn’t hold on hard enough.

She won’t, though. Katara understands the impulse, but she isn’t going _anywhere_.

It’s tranquil for about ten seconds before the little monster scrambles off her lap in the blink of an eye and pushes her face first into the lake with surprising strength, the five year old mastermind cackling as Katara goes tumbling into the water. 

Oh, well. The moment was nice while it lasted. 

Time for the firebender to get a taste of her own medicine. 

Katara coils a strand of water around Azula’s ankle, splashing her and dropping her feet first into the inlet, straight into Katara’s arms, shrieks of laughter and surprise echoing across the lagoon.


	5. Cabbage Man Has A Bad Day

“Sokka, don’t let them _out of your sight_ for a — “

“I get it Katara!” Sokka rolls his eyes, gesturing to her, Toph, and Aang. “Go on, practice your bending!”

He puffs out his chest. “I’ve got things handled here.“

With a reluctant sigh, Katara follows the other two towards a clearing farther away from their campsite, casting him one last suspicious glance. She’d probably much rather leave Suki in charge of Zuko and Azula, but Suki was out foraging for food.

It’s like Katara doesn’t trust him with children, which is ridiculous. He is _clearly_ the most responsible member of the group. 

Little sisters. 

He peeks into the kids’ tent to check in on them. They were napping, buried underneath their blankets.

Sokka scoffs. Katara’s too motherly for her own good. He could take care of a couple sleeping kids, no problem.

Looks like he could just kick back on the hammock and relax.

* * *

“Told ya!” Azula grins as Sokka exits the tent, jumping on a nearby hammock and closing his eyes. 

Zuko sighs. He had kind of been hoping Sokka wouldn’t be fooled by the fact that they’d left a pile of rocks on their beds, covered by blankets, to make him think they were sleeping.

It was Azula’s idea anyways, and as per usual, she’s dragging him along. Though, he would’ve come anyway — _someone_ needed to keep an eye on his little sister.

“Come Zuzu!” 

Azula is easily the most authoritative five year old Zuko knows, tugging him along as they easily slip past the campsite and a sleeping Sokka. Azula bribes Appa with a few moon peaches to get him off the ground, until they’re flying towards a nearby Earth Kingdom town, from the looks of it. Appa lands, and he slides off the bison’s back, staring curiously at the hustle and bustle of merchants setting up their wares, children their age chasing each other around along dirt paths.

“Why are we going here again?” 

“ ‘Cause I’m bored,” she answers, pulling his hand. “Come on!”

* * *

The cabbage merchant drives his cart gleefully along unpaved streets. After all those times his precious cabbages had been destroyed, he’d learned his lesson — no more big cities. 

From now on, he’d be selling his wares in tiny, insignificant Earth Kingdom towns like this one, with minimal disturbances.

He stations his cart in a rather prominent area of the square, right next to some of the other vendors selling vegetables.

“Cabbages! Get your leafy cabbages right here, only—”

He freezes. 

Two children, a boy and a girl, come running down the path leading into the merchant’s square, but that isn’t the worrying part.

The worrying part is the giant bison racing after them, his mouth wide in what either looks like a smile or a snarl. It’s hard to tell. 

The children run straight towards his cart, before sharply veering to the right to avoid smashing into it.

The bison is not so lucky. 

The cabbage merchant screams in horror as a spirits-knows-how-much-that-thing-weighs bison crashes into the cart, crushing his precious merchandise under bumbling feet, sending most of the cabbages splattering to the ground. 

“My cabbages!”

He was a fool. Nowhere is safe. _Nowhere_. 

He is beginning to lose his faith in humanity. 

Not just humanity, though. Clearly even the _animals_ are out to get him.

He bursts into tears, pressing a crushed cabbage leaf to his face as if that will bring back what was stolen from him.

“Oh no! I’m sorry mister!” The boy from earlier, the one that had been running in front of the bison with who looked to be his younger sister, kneels down next to him, twiddling his thumbs anxiously. “Appa didn’t mean to destroy all your cabbages.”

The little girl rolls her eyes. “It’s just some _cabbages_.”

The man has never wanted to slap a little girl so hard in his entire life. He settles for wailing a little louder instead.

“Azula! Selling them is how he makes money, remember what Katara said? Be nice.”

She shuffles, looking bored. “Can’t we give him some money and go?”

“We don’t have money anymore, remember?”

“ _Ugh_.”

The boy with a faint scar across his eye places a tiny palm on his shoulder. “It’s okay Mr. Cabbage Man, my name is Zuko, this is my little sister Azula, and we’re going to help!”

“... We are?”

The boy, Zuko, nods, a smile creeping up on his face. “I have an idea.”

* * *

Kids crowd around the center of the plaza excitedly, accompanied by amused parents and other villagers simply looking for some rest and relaxation at the end of a long day of work. 

War keeps everyone busy, so simple pleasures are always treasured. 

Besides, it had been a while since they’d all seen a play in town. 

“Introducing... the Blue Spirit and the Lady Lightning!”

Two kids in matching blue masks step out from behind the broken pieces of the cabbage cart, which they’d somehow turned into a little stage, using some spare pieces of wood from the wheels to paint misshapen masks.

“Welcome their loyal sidekick... Appa the Amazing!“

The giant air bison roars, his face streaked with watercolors as he affectionately licks the “Blue Spirit” and “Lady Lightning.”

The cabbage merchant didn’t know _how_ they’d gotten blue flames to light up their wooden set, but he was too engrossed in the play to care. It was some sort of family drama, and the two kids were vigilantes, from the looks of it. Somehow, it was still better than that stupid play he’d seen on Ember Island the year before, so when it’s done, he stands up with everyone else and gives them a standing ovation. 

Coins clink into the metal can in front of the children, who take a bow. When the crowd disperses, the boy runs straight up to him, can in hand, dumping the coins onto his open palms. 

“Here you go Mr. Cabbage Man! We hope this is enough for you to buy some new cabbages! We’re really sorry about destroying them before.”

He sighs. “... It’s okay, kid. At least you tried to make up for it.”

Zuko smiles, a little uncertain, awkwardly waving goodbye as his sister tugs him away towards the air bison.

Oh, alright. The kids were actually kind of cute, he’d admit that, and they _had_ put on an entertaining show. The fact that he had some copper pieces in his pocket certainly didn’t hurt.

His merchandise is still destroyed, but his faith in humanity is restored. 

Somewhat.

The cabbage merchant walks away to settle in an inn for the night, deciding, all in all, it wasn’t the _worst_ day he’d ever had.

* * *

Two small children scurry out of the town square with their giant furry friend as darkness falls.

A figure in a dark cloak follows them, lifting his head, watchful eyes tracking the movements of the children as they climb up the air bison, following tufts of white hair that the animal leaves behind back into the forest.


	6. Iroh Throws A Tea Party

Sneaking out had been a horrible idea. 

The sight of Katara and Sokka’s angered faces when they make it back to the campsite are enough to make Zuko immediately regret everything. 

“What were you two thinking, do you know how dangerous it is to wander off by yourselves!”

“Yeah! You two could’ve gotten seriously hurt!” Sokka chimes in. 

Katara rounds on her brother. “And don’t even get me started with you! I told you not to let them out of your sight Sokka!”

Sokka wilts. “I _thought_ they were in their beds!”

“I can’t believe you were tricked by a _five year old_...”

Azula pulls at Zuko’s sleeves as they siblings continued to argue. “Zuzu, I heard something.”

She points to the trail they’d taken in the forest to make it back. 

He frowns. If he focuses, he can hear it to, a slight rustle in the leaves that seems a bit off, the crunching of underbrush getting closer and closer...

A man in an obsidian cloak steps forward into the clearing, and everyone freezes. Zuko can’t make out the man’s face from here, shrouded in darkness, but a sense of anticipation knots in his stomach. 

Slowly, he removes his hood, grey hair and lined features coming into view.

“Prince Zuko. Princess Azula. I’ve been looking for you.”

Coming from anyone else, the statement might seem ominous. 

But Uncle Iroh says it with a familiar twinkle in his eye, and all Zuko feels is relief.

* * *

“Who are _you_?” Toph’s questions rings in the air as she gets into an earthbending stance, with Aang following suit.

Suki deftly grabs Zuko’s elbow before he can run forward, holding him back from the stranger.

“My name is Iroh, and I don’t mean you any harm. I simply came to check in on my niece and nephew, and make sure they were alright.”

“Your niece and... wait, you’re the Firelord’s _brother_?” Aang regards him warily. He didn’t seem very threatening, but he’d seen what Firelord Ozai was capable of, so he definitely couldn’t underestimate his brother.

Iroh seems to understand the group’s concerns, holding his hands up placatingly. “I am, but I’m not here to bring his children back to him. After I heard what my brother did to my nephew, I knew they were probably better off with you. I’ve just been tracking you to make sure they were being well cared for.”

“Uncle Iroh!” Zuko manages to break away from Suki’s grip, rushing into the older man’s arms, nearly bowling him over. 

Iroh chuckles, hugging the young boy, reaching out to ruffle Azula’s hair. The younger girl rolls her eyes, grumbling about uncle “fuddy duddy” but allowing the pat on the head nonetheless.

Aang lowers his hands. Something about the wizened old man seems softer, gentler than the Firelord he’d seen in the palace. “Guys, I think we can trust him.”

Katara crosses her arms, far more suspicious. “I’m not so sure.”

Iroh rubs his hands together. 

“Perhaps we can discuss this over tea?”

* * *

A little while later, a warm feeling settles in Aang’s stomach as the jasmine tea trickles down his throat. It’s probably some of the best tea he’s ever had, and surely anyone that makes tea this good can’t be _that_ bad. Even Katara, who’d insisted on supervising as the elderly man had boiled the tea, seems somewhat content.

If tea-making skills were any sort of objective standard for judging morality, then Iroh has passed the test with flying colors.

They all sit around the campfire, having idle conversation over tea, more relaxed than they’d been moments before. Zuko is sitting next to his uncle on the log bench, looking thrilled, while Azula is steadfastly refusing to drink any of that “hot leaf juice.”

Iroh had shot her a scandalized look when the remark has left her lips, and had insisted on having a daily “tea appreciation” hour from now on. Her face had soured further, Zuko gleefully filling his sister’s cup with more jasmine tea .

“I know that you probably don’t trust me right now, but I’m only here to help you look after the children. Besides, _you_ will need a firebending teacher if you want to defeat my brother.” The grey-haired man turns to Aang. “I would be honored to teach you, Avatar Aang, if you wish.”

He purses his lips. Aang likes Iroh, he does, and even if he hasn’t mastered earth bending yet, he’ll need a firebending teacher soon enough. Still, it almost feels too convenient, Ozai’s brother showing up as a potential teacher.

“Thank you for offering, but I’ll have to think it over.” 

Iroh nods, understanding.

“Take your time.”

“I _would_ like to learn how to make this jasmine tea though!”

The corners of Iroh’s mouth upturn into a smile. 

Even if Aang never becomes a firebending master, at least he’ll be able to say he’s learned how to make tea from the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously guys, though, a thousand kudos. The response to this fic has been seriously unreal, if I could give you all virtual cookies I would! Thank you all so much!!!


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